Team Phoenicia[1] and Techshop[2] are proud to cosponsor a seminar[3] on NASA's Nanosatellite Launcher Challenge[4].

Presenting at the seminar will be NASA and its allied organization, FAA, California Space Authority, Spaceport America, Friends of Amateur Rocketry, Vog Rockets, and Team Phoenicia. A yet to be announced keynote speaker and potentially more teams will be presenting as well.

The seminar is meant to be a combination of challenge promotion, networking, scoping the difficulty and requirements, and options for help for those teams.

The draft rules will be presented for feedback at the seminar by the allied organization.

The seminar will be at 1 PM on November 6th, 2010 at Techshop - Menlo Park.

In would like to see a seminar or meeting put on by other than one of the probable entrants. This upcoming one seems irregular/biased.

Perhaps after the announcement of the entity which is chosen to operate the Challenge (next week, I believe), they should, but taking care that attendance of not attending has no effect on eligibility to enter.

Team Phoenicia is *NOT* and will *NOT* be an entrant. Period. While we want to build rockets to orbit, we do not have the cycles, especially on the management side, to pursue yet another challenge.

This seminar is, in fact, biased. No question about that. This is meant to raise awareness around the /SF Bay Area/ of the challenge and get more teams to participate. The groups that can help the teams are largely what's presenting. This is tooled to that end.

While NASA, the FAA, and etc are supporting this seminar, it is NOT a required to attend to participate in the challenge nor is it an official conference for the nanosat launcher challenge. As for the allied entity that will be running the challenge, NASA has made it clear that whomever it is will be coming and presenting the draft rules.

Part of the reason that we are extending the invitation to people outside the Bay Area is so that those that are interested can influence the rules. Based on my own experience participating in the Challenges, getting your remarks in early and often is really, really important.

CA business climate is not good--especially for lightly funded start-ups, and Mojave has its set of problems, like it's hard to attract people to work here, and other factors.

2 of 3 of my current consulting clients are ex-CA who moved the businesses to Las Vegas.

Propellants? LOX/hydrocarbon. The website gives some idea of the design approach. Propane or butane for 2 upper stages, possibly same for 1st stage, or #2 diesel (engine to be LOX cooled, so fuel choice is easier). If an ethanol company were found as a sponsor, 1st stage cold be ethanol--Indy racing is all ethanol now and there are a number of mid-west companies to check out.

3rd question re mail--didn't understand that.

Attending the conference will depend on schedule, cost, and if there is any advantage in doing so. If I find more information, like what organization will be operating the challenge I could decide better.

I hope this carries out the promise of stimulating the advent of a non-government dominated space industry, as the X-Prize did for the suborbital flight plans.